HEART
Katies help Saint Paul Public Schools students learn, grow, and find their destinies.
6
PHOTO/TARA SLOANE
KAY LEE MSN’13, DNP PAGE
SPRING BLING
Four graduating Wildcats display MIAC championship rings from throughout their St. Kate’s soccer careers during Commencement in May.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
KHATMEH OSSEIRAN-HANNA
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT
MARY HAEG, JD
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
SARAH VOIGT MAOL’25
EDITOR
MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
DESIGNER HEATHER LONGMORE
CONTRIBUTORS
KARA D eMARIE MLIS’16
JACQUELINE N. FONT-GUZMÁN, JD, PhD
KENDALL GRAHAM
LINDSAY MADRYGA
STEPHANIE MALONE
MOLLY ORTH
ANA PEREIRA ’25
AMY SHAW/ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM
LINDSAY BUTTERFIELD
WHIPPLE ’09
PHOTOGRAPHERS
PATRICK CLANCY
REBECCA ZENEFSKI SLATER ’10
TARA SLOANE
RACHEL STOCKER
ADDRESS CHANGES
651-690-6666
STKATE.EDU/UPDATEINFO mag.stkate.edu
@st.kates
@stkates
St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Communications. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission.
St. Catherine University was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905.
Learn more: stkate.edu/ourhistory
Leading to Learn
Across degrees and disciplines, St. Kate’s alumni and students help the next generation in Saint Paul Public Schools reach their potential.
BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
As a school nurse, Kay Lee MSN’13, DNP connects families with healthcare resources — work she has been doing for over 20 years. Lee is just one of the many Katies helping Saint Paul Public Schools students stay healthy and engaged so they can learn and grow. Read more on page 6.
PHOTO/RACHEL STOCKER
From the President
I always get emotional at commencement ceremonies. In academia, this is the moment we work towards all year: watching our students cross the stage, be recognized for their intelligence, tenacity, and excellence, and then move into their next orbits of leadership and influence. Tears are often shed, but they are tears of wonder, joy, and pride. Glancing at photos from this year’s Commencement brings back so many memories of those occasions; if you are a recent St. Kate’s graduate reading this issue, congratulations again, and welcome to the ranks of our brilliant alumni!
In this first year as president of St. Catherine University, I have felt a stronger sense of kinship with our students, learning alongside them about this amazing community of teaching and learning, and about the strength of leaders that are living and working here on our campus. The welcoming embrace of the St. Kate’s community has helped me feel instantly at home here in Minnesota. Katies are bringing that curiosity and intelligence to learning environments in our communities like Saint Paul Public Schools, which you can read about on page 6.
Above all, in this season of Commencement, I am grateful. Your support, your partnership, your
investment in our students was evident in each of the 1,161 graduates who claimed their diploma this May. Thank you. Whether you volunteered, made a financial contribution, or shared your expertise with our students and alumni, you are helping Katies that much more along their journey to their destinies. Next month, we’re proud and thankful to publish our digital honor roll of this year’s donors and volunteers.
Summer is a season of restoration for many, whether through travel, tending to a garden, or simply unwinding with a good book. I’m especially looking forward to spending time with my family as we celebrate my mother-in-law’s 85th birthday in vibrant New Orleans. I’ll also be embarking on a special cruise to Rome, Greece, and Turkey with one of my daughters — an adventure I’m truly excited for.
My hope for each of you is that these summer months bring renewed energy and joyful memories that will sustain your spirit in the seasons ahead. I’m filled with gratitude and anticipation for what the future holds for St. Kate’s.
Marcheta P. Evans, PhD President
KEEP UP WITH PRESIDENT EVANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: and : St. Catherine University’s President : stkatespresident
EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING for an engaging fall. Alumni Relations is looking to connect with you and invites you to:
• Get ready for a new podcast launching this year, featuring St. Kate’s alumni voices, stories, and history. Email alumni@stkate.edu to share meaningful memories, favorite campus ghost stories, or reflections on St. Kate’s role in your life.
• Follow and comment on Alumni Relations social platforms for the latest, including an updated LinkedIn group to build direct professional connections between current students and other alumni. facebook.com/katiealumni
stkatesalumni
St. Catherine University Alumni
• Join us this fall at an alumni event like Citizen Katie, October’s Conversation With Books, or productions at The O’Shaughnessy. We love seeing you and sharing special alumni discounts and swag!
• As always, tell us your news! New job? New baby? Moving cross-country? We want to hear it all. Visit stkate.edu/share-news to submit life updates; these may be included in publications like “Class Notes” in the St. Kate’s magazine or they can be used only to update your Alumni Relations record.
Learn more about both recent alumni events and upcoming programming on page 10, or visit stkate.edu/alumni
THANK YOU.
The generous support of St. Catherine University community members makes it possible for us to continue educating women leaders. For our list recognizing 2024–25 donors and volunteers, confirm your details at stkate.edu/UpdateInfo.
Bookmark X Katies in Action
Engagement, conflict, and change: five years after George Floyd
“We are never truly neutral in any but an aspirational sense. That is, we can aspire to have no influence on the outcome and to avoid taking sides in any way — it is just not something that we can truly deliver. Objectivity can only be understood as one component of how we think, of how we understand the world, one which never operates in isolation of our worldview, our emotions, or our values.”
The Neutrality Trap: Disrupting and Connecting for Social Change (2022)
Bernard Mayer, PhD, and Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán, JD, PhD
Five years after the murder of George Floyd, the enduring relevance of The Neutrality Trap is tragically evident. His death precipitated ideas that had been percolating for my co-author and myself, and we wrote this book to expose how claims of neutrality often perpetuate injustice by masking complicity in systems of oppression. The Neutrality Trap reminds us that true equity and social justice demand active engagement, especially from those in positions of influence.
St. Kate’s founding Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have always striven to create a better world for all through care of the dear neighbor, and this charge has been central to University equity work in the past five years. Our driven, passionate faculty and staff have contributed interdisciplinary work like “Democratizing the Humanities” and “Welcoming the Dear Neighbor?,” and founded school-based healthcare through Bear Care Clinic. The yearly George Floyd Memorial Endowed Scholarship supports a St. Kate’s student on their leadership journey. These initiatives are not end points, but markers on the path to wider change, because we
know that to stand still as systemic inequities continue to cause harm is to fall into the neutrality trap.
Partners like Memorialize The Movement help us recognize that remembering George Floyd must go beyond observing this five-year mark. It must be a call to reject neutrality as a default and instead adopt courageous, equity-centered approaches to conflict, policy, and change. Social justice cannot be sustained by silence — it requires action that confronts power and prioritizes the voices of those historically marginalized.
—Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán, JD, PhD Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, Equity,
and Belonging
ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF CREATE THEIR OWN PLYWOOD MURALS AT THE CATHERINE G. MURPHY GALLERY’S OPENING RECEPTION FOR THE PLYWOOD QUILT.
MULTI-YEAR COLLABORATION WITH MEMORIALIZE THE MOVEMENT
In the summer of 2020, vibrant murals covered street after street in Minneapolis. Following the murder of George Floyd, community members had repurposed the stark plywood boards that covered doorways and windows as a visual platform for mantras of resistance, illustrations of collective action, and the power of Black voices. In response, Minneapolis organization Memorialize The Movement (MTM) formed to collect, preserve, and make accessible the plywood murals as living Minnesota history.
“Five years later, the pain is still present — but so is our purpose,” says Leesa Kelly, MTM founder and executive director. “As the world moves forward, we remain rooted in the vital work of preserving Black history, ensuring that the story of George Floyd and the movement he ignited is never forgotten.”
This past spring, community members were invited to share their stories and lived experiences by creating their own miniature murals. MTM and the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery presented The Plywood Quilt. The exhibit highlighted plywood murals created since 2022 in MTM “Paint to Express” workshops, which center BIPOC community art and connection.
“During the workshops, students, faculty, and staff found comfort, voice, and empowerment by making paintings, then hanging them on the gallery wall,” says Nicole Watson, gallery director. “The spring exhibition created space on campus for reflection about this milestone anniversary.”
The Plywood Quilt was a prelude to an upcoming fall 2025 exhibition with MTM, which will feature plywood murals and objects from the 2020 Minneapolis uprising. Learn more at gallery.stkate.edu
—Michelle Mullowney ’17
Leading to Learn
Across degrees and disciplines, St. Kate’s alumni and students help the next generation in Saint Paul Public Schools reach their potential.
BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
“Slow your body down. Breathe deep, slow down, count on your fingers,” says Kay Lee MSN’13, DNP to her patient, an energetic third-grader in her Frost Lake Elementary School nurse’s office. He’s come in from the middle of recess, and he’s raring to get back outside as he takes deep breaths from his asthma nebulizer.
Helping students learn — and most importantly, practice — how to correctly administer their medication, such as nebulizers and insulin, is a big focus for Lee and the support staff team.
“Often, parents weren’t trained on how to use the medication,” says Lee. “So it’s educating the families to understand, and motivating students to use it independently so that they see, ‘If I can manage this and my lungs become stronger, I might not need it as much.’”
“My goal,” she continues, “is to redefine for them what a nurse is, so that instead of fearing me, they seek me out when they need me; that whatever else is happening for them in the building, in my space they feel comfortable and safe.”
For Lee, that relationship building with students and their families is the center of what she does as a school nurse. She joined Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) in 2006 as part of a public health response to several waves of Hmong refugees entering Saint Paul, helping families establish healthcare, educating them on their medical treatments, and connecting them with resources like interpreters. All of these things are still part of her work to
this day, even her past 10 years with Frost Lake as school nurse — especially the cultural aspects of patient care.
As a woman in the Hmong community, Lee describes St. Kate’s emphasis on both women’s leadership and intercultural understanding as important factors when choosing a program for her master’s degree in nursing. With a richly diverse student base — SPPS enrollment for the 2024–25 year reflected a population of 28% Asian, 24% Black, 16% Hispanic/Latinx, and 22% white — the ability to navigate different cultural relationships to healthcare can make a huge difference in effective patient treatment.
“You’re educating so [families] have the resources to make the right choice for themselves. You can’t apply treatment if you don’t truly understand or validate what’s happening for a patient,” says Lee. “You can’t build a relationship with the community without being part of the community, and St. Kate’s is very connected to the community hospitals, working for public health, and here in our schools. The big thing I liked about St. Kate’s program was that you’re thinking outside the box. You’re meeting the standards of nursing — but you’re doing it on a higher level.”
PASSION INSPIRING PASSION
Lee’s St. Catherine experience isn’t just from her own days in the master’s program; she routinely hosts Katies at Frost Lake for their clinicals. Out of the 94 hours she spent with nursing students in their clinicals this year,
My goal is to redefine for them what a nurse is, so that whatever else is happening for them, in my space they feel comfortable and safe.”
—Kay Lee MSN’13, DNP
60 have been with St. Kate’s students. She sees the difference in students like Jackie Sorensen ’26, who she hosted for four days last spring.
“I find that when St. Kate’s students come in, they want to learn. They’re not there to just sit and get in their time,” Lee says. “I loved having Jackie here because she was like, ‘Can I try?’ She was asking questions, she wanted to be part of it all.”
Sorensen is a St. Kate’s bachelor’s of nursing student, and like Lee, works with students in a school health office. Also like Lee, for her, school nursing is about fostering relationships. Sorensen had already been working as a licensed practical nurse since 2008 and had experienced a variety of nursing settings before her current health associate role at Waconia High School, where she began to think about pursuing an RN degree.
“I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that there was more out there for me, that I’m built for more,” Sorensen says. “The St. Kate’s program was really speaking to me as a holistic nursing program — teaching you mind, body, and spirit of a person, and how to encompass all of that in your care of patients, not just the technical aspects.”
Her experience assisting Lee in student healthcare “reinforced my want to be a school nurse,” Sorensen says. She was able to see Lee in the many facets of her role: calling interpreters to help families make appointments, educating elementary schoolers on their medicine, navigating health logistics for students who are homeless.
“It opened my eyes to all of the things we could be doing to help students. Nursing doesn’t have to be cookie cutter,” says Sorensen. “Watching the difference Kay made in these kids’ lives each and every day, all the teaching she does with her students and how she handles some of the intricacies of their lives — it’s been a driving force for me. I want to be a Kay for somebody."
Learn more about the St. Kate’s MSN nursing educator and early childhood education programs: stkate.edu/nurse-ed | stkate.edu/ece
Explore all program options in St. Kate’s Graduate College and College for Adults: stkate.edu/grad | stkate.edu/adult
JACKIE SORENSEN ’26
STACIE STANLEY ’97, ’02, MAED’05, EdD
Saint Paul Public Schools Superintendent
Teacher, professor, principal, superintendent — Stanley has made educating her life’s work. Now, after 30 years, she is returning to the school district that provided her with the foundation for a career steeped in learning. Stanley is both an alumna of Saint Paul Public Schools and their new superintendent, and says she is thrilled to be “back to the school district that taught me how to read and fostered a love of math in me.”
The three-time St. Catherine alumna recalls that one of her first math professors, St. Kate’s professor emerita Ann Sweeney, had an equally pivotal influence on her decision to become a math teacher. “It was a big deal for kids to have a female math teacher, and an even bigger deal for kids to have a female African American math teacher — and so I am forever grateful that Dr. Sweeney encouraged me to go in that direction.”
Stanley first obtained a St. Kate’s degree in occupational therapy and then made the switch to education, returning for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in her new field. “I came out of St. Kate’s as a math teacher,
ANDREA REY ’26
Special
Education Interpreter
Rey is part of many families’ first step into the school system. Entering a new education environment is daunting regardless, but add language barriers and cultural differences, and it can be overwhelming. In her work as an early childhood special education interpreter with Saint Paul Public Schools, Rey helps make that process easier.
“Having someone who maybe looks like you, who speaks your language, who you don’t have to worry about explaining your background to — it helps the student and the family have more trust, helps them be more involved and more engaged in the school system,” Rey says.
She describes herself as a bridge between children, families, and the school staff. In her role, she visits the homes of Spanish-speaking families with special needs students, and interprets for the SPPS personnel, like teachers and physical therapists who provide care.
After seeing what a difference she could make for families who had moved from other countries, Rey felt
and was able to set the standard to say, ‘Anyone — anyone — can thrive and be successful in mathematics,’” she says.
“Some people say that education is the great equalizer. I say that education is the key that opens doors for students that they didn’t even know existed.”
Stanley says that her St. Kate’s education prepared her to think critically, whether it was her first-year The Reflective Woman course or a graduate seminar. “Throughout all my courses, all the way up through my master’s degree, my professors helped us to see that our degrees weren’t just about a piece of paper. It was about helping you be that leader, whether you were in the classroom or leading a district, who is going to use their influence to make a difference for the public good.”
motivated to step into the role of teacher herself and contribute to the presence of BIPOC educators, especially in a district with as diverse a student population as SPPS. She had 27 years of experience; now she needed the theory part, she says. “It’s like a circle. I’m taking all this theory, all this learning, and I’m applying it at work or at my fieldwork hours — but then I am also able to bring all those years of experience to my classes.”
Rey will complete her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education this fall and her Montessori credential in the spring.
“Throughout all my classes, my professors have provided me with anti-bias education, strategies, and methodologies, pushing me to think critically about creating an inclusive learning environment where students of all cultures are valued in the classroom.”
Around Campus
JANET HORVATH DELIVERS GOODMAN LECTURE ON MUSIC AND GENERATIONAL HEALING
In May, The O’Shaughnessy welcomed Janet Horvath, MFA, as the 2025 speaker in the Goodman Lecture series, which encourages interfaith conversation between Jewish and Christian communities. Horvath is a former associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra and author of the 2023 book The Cello Still Sings: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and of the Transformative Power of Music
Horvath discussed the relationship between her family’s deep musicality and her parents’ unspoken
history in the Holocaust. She also reflected on the need for coming together as a community at a time when racism and division continue to increase.
“There’s such a need for connection. Individualism is our nemesis, I think, right now,” Horvath said during the Q&A that followed her lecture. “We should strive to coexist, to connect, and we can make a difference one conversation at a time. Through music, our family found a way for our hearts to speak and to bring people together.”
NEW LEADERS NAMED
St. Catherine University welcomed Khatmeh OsseiranHanna as new senior vice president of institutional advancement in February. Most recently vice president for university advancement at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Osseiran-Hanna brings an extensive background in strategic fundraising, alumni engagement, and institutional advancement.
In April, Boyd J. (B.J.) Miller was appointed chief financial officer and corporate treasurer, having served in a consulting capacity since February. Miller, who has more than 30 years of experience in financial and operational planning, will administer financial strategy and oversee budgeting and capital planning.
ST. KATE’S CALENDARS
stkate.edu/alumni-events
Athletics | stkatesathletics.com
The O’Shaughnessy | oshag.stkate.edu
Catherine G. Murphy Gallery | gallery.stkate.edu
GOLFER RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
In April, Wildcat Katie Reeves ’24, MSND’25 was one of 20 college student-athletes selected across the country for the spring Allstate NACDA Good Works Team. This new initiative by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Allstate honors student-athletes in all divisions and sports for their community involvement and civic engagement.
CONVERSATIONWITHBOOKS CONVERSATIONWITHBOOKS CONVERSATIONWITHBOOKS
CONVERSATION WITH BOOKS
ALUMNI READERS TALK ROMANCE, AGENCY, AND REPRESENTATION
BOOKSWITHCONVERSATION CONVERSATION WITH BOOKS
On June 7, Lydia Butler Fasteland ’12, MLIS’17 and Taylor Harwood ’15 led fellow alums in discussion of romance novels from an intersectional feminist lens.
Don’t miss the final Conversation With Books of the year! This October, join Suzanne Lehman ’93, MSN’11, DNP’18, dean of the School of Nursing, to dive into BIPOC authors and the world of speculative fiction.
Read the June recap, and see details for the October event: stkate.edu/cwb
“Katie has been an exceptional leader on our golf team,” shared golf coach Mary Giorgi. “Her future is bright and we can’t thank her enough for all of her hard work over the last five years, especially with the demanding schedule of a student-athlete. She so deserves this recognition!”
Reeves was nominated for her advocacy in food security and nutrition education. She has supported communities through volunteer work in organizations that include Wilderness Inquiry, Open Arms Minnesota, and Feed My Starving Children. She has also created elementary school materials on nutrition, managed assessments on nutrition at the St. Mary’s SMMART Clinic, and hosted virtual cooking classes for families.
Class Notes
1960
DEANNE BOELTL SHERMAN ’67 and her daughter, Michelle Sherman, PhD, recently published two books that are mental health resources for families. Loving Someone With a Mental Illness or History of Trauma was published in January 2025 by Johns Hopkins University Press, and I’m Not Alone: A Teen’s Guide to Living With a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness or History of Trauma was published in November 2024 by Seeds of Hope Books.
1970
ANN WILLIAMS BUSSEY ’70 authored work that is now featured in the Community-Centered Policy Impact Toolkit, a framework from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Program designed to help guide community members through the policy process to make an impact in their communities. Bussey is an award-winning advocate for health and longevity in Minnesota’s rural population of people 65 and over, and spoke at Minnesota’s Legislative Task Force on Aging in 2024.
Online: stkate.edu/share-news Phone: 651-690-6666
Email: alumni@stkate.edu
facebook.com/katiealumni University Alumni
1980
LAURIE POTVIN WIG ’87 was inducted into the Brainerd Public Schools Legendary Women Hall of Fame, celebrating the accomplishments of women whose leadership journeys began in Brainerd, Minnesota. Wig has served a wide variety of grade levels, curricular areas, and educational focuses in central Minnesota for 34 years.
DIANE CHRISTIANSON HANDRICK ’88 was selected as executive director of the Wisconsin Technical College District Boards Association, a statewide organization of all college board trustees delivering state and federal advocacy, technical education support, and professional development.
ANN GUERRERO GILLIAN ’89 invented a medical device called “The Pelvic Cradle” in partnership with Minnesota-based OB-GYN Alexandra Bader, MD, and Minnesota-based medical device company BoneFoam. The foam product helps position patients more comfortably for pelvic exams and births.
REBECCA REINERS ’89, EdD, earned her doctorate degree in leadership in higher education in December from Brenau University, a women’s college in Gainesville, Georgia.
2000
THERESA STARKMAN MARTY ’08 was named the new principal of Oak Point Elementary in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Marty has been serving Saint Paul Public Schools for the past 10 years, including roles as principal, assistant principal, assistant director of special services, and classroom instructor.
2010
MARLO DWORSKY MSN’16 joined the Ely, Minnesota Essentia Health clinic in May as a family medicine practitioner.
ELIZABETH RODEWALD ’16 was invited to speak at the Beijing American Center in September 2024 to speak about pets and mental health. She has been living and working in China for the past eight years and is the founder of Furry Tales, an animal rescue organization in Beijing.
MAYA JOHNSON ’17, JD, was named interim CEO of All Square and the Legal Revolution, a nonprofit social enterprise that reinvests in those impacted by mass incarceration through a restaurant and a legal education program.
ANDREA DUARTE-ALONSO ’19 appeared on a March episode of Minnesota Unraveled, a podcast by the Minnesota Historical Society, to talk about the history of the meatpacking industry in rural Minnesotan towns. Since 2017, Duarte-Alonso has produced Stories From Unheard Voices, a digital collection of interviews with immigrants and their families in Worthington, Minnesota.
2020
LIZA LEJA McNAMARA ’20 and Thomas McNamara welcomed their first child, Millie Marie, on January 15, 2025.
JENNIFER WALDRIFF MSN’20 joined the Brainerd, Minnesota Essentia Health clinic in April as a family medicine practitioner.
WAGMA GHARWAL CERT’22, JD, joined the Faegre Drinker firm’s finance and restructuring group in May as counsel in their Minneapolis office.
ALYSSA EICH MSN’23 joined the pediatric and adolescent medicine department at Winona Health in Winona, Minnesota in February.
In Memory w
Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the following St. Catherine University graduates, faculty, staff, and community members.
Adyline Felsted, former music lecturer w May 25, 2020
Shawn Field, former custodial supervisor w April 12, 2022
Francine Corcoran, former development officer w November 28, 2024
Calvin N. Ryan-Mosley, former assistant to President Anita Pampusch for admissions w March 26, 2025
Patricia Hanley Doval ’43 w January 11, 2024
Bonnie Epple Reitter ’44 w October 14, 2024
Jean Feely Moran ’45 w September 5, 2024
Laurene Schmit Weiers ’47 w August 31, 2021
Dolores Franke Gorden ’48 w August 29, 2024
Geraldine Griffin Gray ’48 w October 20, 2023
Janet McCarthy Daleiden ’48 w August 2, 2024
Phyllis Ryan Evans ’48 w March 27, 2025
Ruth Tomita Akiyama ’48 w December 26, 2024
Patricia Bowing Fournier ’49 w January 19, 2020
Rose Mary Satack ’49 w March 1, 2025
Nancy Davis, CSJ, ’50 w March 24, 2025
Jean Dion Ellsworth ’50 w December 17, 2024
Mary Louise Kueppers Wheeler ’50 w March 30, 2025
Helen Kennedy Simonet ’51 w December 8, 2024
Carroll Rue Boeder ’51 w October 22, 2023
Mary Jo Deutz Eichler ’52 w March 17, 2025
Bonne McCoy Ford ’52 w September 6, 2022
Donna Simon Coughlin ’52 w October 8, 2024
Jane Ulschmid Rice ’52 w November 17, 2024
Mary Kraemer Torborg ’53 w January 27, 2024
Elizabeth McHardy Petroske ’53 w May 11, 2024
Josephine Hottinger Cizek ’54 w December 18, 2024
Mary O’Hern Wieczorek ’54 w February 23, 2025
Lorraine Roehl Zweber ’54 w April 17, 2025
Mary Sullivan Steffen ’54 w October 1, 2024
Rita Sweeney Ryan ’54 w December 6, 2024
Dorothy Adrian Dahl ’55 w May 23, 2023
Eileen M. Cavanagh ’55 w December 19, 2024
Patricia Connolly Durkin ’55 w January 10, 2025
Donna Passe Rink ’55 w October 16, 2023
Marcia Taylor Jackson ’55 w January 7, 2025
Patricia Weber Nohelty ’55 w January 28, 2025
Jane Canavan Fischer ’56 w February 24, 2025
Carol Johnson Hubler ’56 w April 15, 2025
Suzanne Kamman Flotten ’56, MLS’57 w April 22, 2025
Kathleen M. Keenan ’56 w October 10, 2024
M. Jeanne Madigan ’56 w January 19, 2025
Mary Charlene O’Keeffe, CSJ, ’56 w December 13, 2024
Mary Catherine Carroll Kline ’57 w February 15, 2025
Estelle Muraski Schwab ’57 w January 2, 2023
Virginia A. Schubert ’57 w January 26, 2025
Virginia Strizich Weidenkopf ’57 w January 26, 2025
Susan Conroy King ’58 w February 8, 2025
Vetaline Flicek Bakken ’58 w January 9, 2025
Margaret Clark Opatz ’59 w January 14, 2023
Janette Fritz Kamla ’59 w December 6, 2024
Kathryn Imre Cunningham ’59 w May 23, 2021
Elinor Schmitt Nicklawske ’59 w April 15, 2025
Patricia Bohdan Ritzman ’60 w September 27, 2024
Jeanine Fried ’60 w September 29, 2024
Joyce Junion Barina ’60 w January 20, 2025
Sheila Kelly Long ’60 w March 17, 2025
Mary Loula Halvorson ’60 w April 7, 2025
Sandra Nordstrom Guay ’60 w January 20, 2025
Annabelle Raiche, CSJ, ’60 w January 21, 2025
Margaret Walsh Fellenz ’60 w January 25, 2025
Anne Falvey Riggs ’61 w January 8, 2025
Ruth Hottinger Allard ’61 w December 13, 2024
Mary H. Montgomery ’61 w June 24, 2024
Mary Schabert, CSJ, ’61 w March 6, 2025
Rita Mitchell Hughes ’62 w December 31, 2024
Mary Wirth Brockway ’62 w January 13, 2025
Maureen Ambrose Gordon ’63 w December 11, 2024
Margaret O’Connor Franzen ’63 w December 12, 2024
Ann Starken Turner ’63 w March 16, 2025
Helen Zachman Hann ’63 w January 25, 2025
Margaret Antonia Rausch, OSF ’64 w June 17, 2017
Kathleen McNamara Mucha ’66 w December 10, 2024
E. Kathleen Sweeney ’66 w June 12, 2023
Mary Brennan Hillary ’67 w January 13, 2025
Carol Klees Nagel ’67 w October 1, 2024
Louise Maus ’67 w January 10, 2025
Eileen McKee ’68 w January 25, 2025
Lynda Laskow ’69 w August 29, 2024
Elizabeth Weber Wade ’69, MLIS’98 w December 20, 2024
Leah Lindberg Tierney ’70 w February 22, 2025
Carol Casey Gaberel ’71 w March 21, 2024
Catherine Rutten Schwinden ’72 w January 3, 2025
Margaret A. Riha ’73 w February 20, 2025
Bernadine Hughes Leach ’74 w February 20, 2025
Cynthia Loehr Jameson ’74 w November 21, 2023
Beth Floeder Schaffer ’76 w April 16, 2025
Marilyn Faust Vernon ’78 w May 24, 2020
Celine Hulse Perkins ’80 w March 5, 2025
Georgette Vickstrom ’82 w January 12, 2019
Valerie Neiman Nielsen Cert’84 w February 17, 2025
Mary Jane Tomsche Corbey ’84 w October 30, 2019
Ann Pribyl Mattson ’85, MAED’00 w December 9, 2023
Lynn Marcotte Szarke ’87 w December 11, 2024
Linda C. Liupakka ’88 w February 10, 2024
Sally Talbert Thompson ’88w December 23, 2024
Kathleen M. Gehring ’89 w December 16, 2024
Sharon Secor Freeman MAT’90 w December 28, 2024
Renee K. Maxwell ’95 w December 3, 2023
Elgene Meadows MSW’97 w November 9, 2021
Edward J. Gisler MSW’98 w December 17, 2020
Gary P. Savage ’98 w February 27, 2025
J. Marie Chouinard ’00, MLIS’06 w September 25, 2024
Kaye L. Cassidy ’02 w December 20, 2023
Grady N. McGovern MAED’03 w January 28, 2025
Megan M. Carlson ’08, DPT’11 w December 22, 2024
Sheila Nahid Helm MNUR’08 w January 15, 2025
Jennifer J. Larson MLIS’13 w February 23, 2025
Loila C. Mickelson ’13 w December 23, 2024
ANNABELLE RAICHE, CSJ, ’60, PhD, died on January 21, 2025 at Carondelet Village. Born in Minneapolis in 1929, she moved with her family to San Francisco at age 12 and returned to St. Paul in 1946 to join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs).
Raiche earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the then-College of St. Catherine, a master’s degree in educational administration from Boston College, and a PhD in education from the University of Minnesota. She worked as a teacher and principal before joining the St. Kate’s education faculty in 1965, later becoming department chair. She was deeply committed to social issues, including access to education and human rights. In the summer of 1973, Raiche was arrested in California while standing in solidarity with the United Farm Workers strike, and spent two weeks praying and fasting in jail.
After a break during which she served on the CSJ Congregational Leadership Team, Raiche returned to teaching in 1978. She remained at St. Kate’s until her retirement in 1996, upon which she was named professor emerita of education.
Reflecting on our legacies
For years, my mother-in-law Nancy, a devout and faithful Catholic woman, drove over 40 miles each week to pray with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She was a mom to me for more than 25 years, and she and I often met before her visits with the Sisters. I cherish those hours spent together.
Nancy’s unexpected death in 2022 thrust the family into deep grief. She was only 78 when we lost her, independent and ebullient to her final day. We all thought she had another two decades — including Nancy, I suspect, which might explain why she died without sharing her wishes for handling her estate. With no will or testament as a guide, her three adult children had to make decisions they hoped would fulfill their mother’s wishes for her legacy, while shouldering the sorrow of her passing. I will always wonder if we honored her intentions properly, or if she would have requested a special gift to St. Kate’s or the CSJs.
Because of this experience, I believe so strongly in the importance of having legacy conversations with loved ones — regardless of age. St. Kate’s partners with an exceptional service called FreeWill to help University alumni and friends navigate will documentation. FreeWill use, plans, and documentation are completely confidential, no matter who the beneficiary is. Visit FreeWill.com/stkates to learn more, and connect with our development team directly at 651-690-6976 or giving@stkate.edu
I was gifted the beautiful, well-used purple rosary that was part of Nancy’s weekly ritual, and I carry it with me every day in my work with St. Kate’s. I feel I was called to my role at St. Kate’s, and to support the work and living legacy of the CSJs. In this, I am sure Nancy would agree.
Stephanie Malone Gift Officer, St. Catherine University
STEHR
NANCY R. (LECHNER)
Katie Diary
BY ANA PEREIRA ’25
“Through weekly meetings and hours of hard practice; through wrinkled skin, frozen hair, and blood-shot eyes — until the pool runs dry.”
This tenacious oath wasn’t for Navy SEAL initiates, but new members of the Dolphins, St. Catherine University’s synchronized swimming club. Active from 1932 through the early ’90s, the club was one of St. Kate’s longestrunning and most popular student organizations.
Initiation suppers often required new members to prove their mettle by withstanding a bucket of ice water or by retrieving silverware from the bottom of the Fontbonne pool. Dolphins practiced several times a week, and at their regular “splash parties,”
attempted challenges like threading needles underwater and swimming the pool’s length while holding a lit candle.
The most significant event in the Dolphin season was their annual spring water pageant, created, directed, and performed by the students themselves. Themes across the decades included Disney characters, a “day in the life” of a St. Kate’s student, Golden Age musicals like Oklahoma!, and, in 1984, “Splash Dance” — a pun on the hit movie from the year prior.
DOLPHINS AT THE FONTBONNE POOL IN 1938 (BELOW) AND 1937 (AT RIGHT)
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
AWARDS SEASON
With the close of the academic year comes recognition celebrations of all kinds, such as (clockwise) the business administration dinner, all-University student honors and awards, and faculty-staff ceremony.
